The present invention relates to a hose connector template. More specifically, the present invention relates to a template that lowers onto a rail tank car bonnet or protective housing. The template may have a plurality of apertures for connecting particular types of hoses thereto. The apertures may be coded so that the correct hoses are attached to the proper apertures to ensure that the correct hoses are in alignment with valves that are disposed within the bonnet or protective housing. The template may be lowered and raised over the bonnet or protective housing via a lifting means such as a hydraulic apparatus or any other lifting mechanism.
It is, of course, generally known to utilize rail tank cars, or other like mobile containers, to transport chemicals, such as, for example, hazardous, flammable or otherwise dangerous chemicals or other materials or commodities. The rail tank cars may transport these commodities via railways. Moreover, other like containers may utilize roadways, highways or other like thoroughfares to transport these commodities. The commodities stored within the rail tank cars or other like mobile containers must be added and removed at certain locations. For example, an empty rail tank car may be filled at one station and may be emptied at another station after the commodity has been delivered. Moreover, the rail tank cars or other like containers may be cleaned and/or repaired at cleaning and/or repair stations.
Whether the rail tank car must be filled, emptied, and cleaned and/or repaired, commodity must flow through one or more valves that may be disposed on the rail tank car. The rail tank car or other like mobile container may have a plurality of valves for the addition and/or removal of commodity for filling or removing the commodity. Further, the plurality of valves may be utilized to clean the rail tank car or other like mobile container by injecting the rail tank car with a cleaning substance such as, for example, steam, heated nitrogen gas, or any other substance that may be utilized to clean the rail tank car or otherwise empty the rail tank car of the commodity. Typically, the rail tank cars have dedicated valves for the addition or removal of liquid commodities or gaseous commodities. For example, a liquid valve may be connected to a pipe that may enter the rail tank car and have a length that may reach the bottom of the rail tank car. This is advantageous for the removal of liquid product, since gravity will pull liquid product to the bottom of the rail tank car. Moreover, a vapor valve may be connected to a pipe that may enter the rail tank car and have a length that may only reach the headspace of the rail tank car thereby allowing the addition or removal of gaseous materials. Various pipes or lines may be attached to these valves for the addition or removal of material from the rail tank car or other like container.
Moreover, a typical cleaning process for the rail tank car or other like container may include, as noted above, a withdrawal of material via a vacuum pump and/or an injection of cleaning material, such as, for example, steam, heated nitrogen gas, air or other material, that will clean the inside of the rail tank car or other like container, and remove most, if not all, of the commodity contained therein. A vacuum pump may be utilized to withdraw an amount of heated nitrogen gas that had been injected into the railcar. The heated nitrogen gas may combine with the gaseous chemical and be pulled from the rail car by the vacuum pump. The nitrogen gas/chemical mixture may then be injected into a means for disposing of the chemical, such as via a flare tower for incinerating the chemical, or a reaction tank for neutralizing the chemical.
The cleaning systems, as described above, typically have a plurality of hoses, pipes or lines that may connect, for example, to the plurality of valves contained on a rail tank car. Typically, the plurality of valves are contained within a housing having a cover that may protect the valves therein. Moreover, there are typically two eduction, or liquid, valves, and two vapor valves. However, the housing or bonnet may contain any number and type of valves as may be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art. The cleaning systems described above will typically include a hose that will connect to one of the valves for the addition of the steam, nitrogen gas, or other gas that will clean the rail tank car. The addition of steam or heated nitrogen gas is typically added to one of the eduction, or liquid valves, so that the steam may enter the rail tank car at the bottom of the rail tank car thereby travelling within the rail tank car to maximize the vaporization of the chemical contained therein. Another hose or other hoses may be attached to one or more of the vapor valves for removing the steam or nitrogen and chemical mixture to be disposed of. The pipes may be attached to the valves on the rail tank car at the same time so that the injection and removal of the steam, nitrogen, or other gas and subsequent removal thereof may be done quickly and, perhaps, automatically.
However, it is very important that these hoses or pipes be connected to the rail tank car in the proper arrangement. Improperly connected hoses can result in damage to the equipment and can endanger the health and safety of people who may be around the rail tank car when the hoses are connected and utilized. Moreover, the commodity may escape to the environment, further endangering the health of safety of people. For example, the hoses may be connected to the wrong valves so that when the steam or nitrogen gas is added to the rail tank car, the wrong valve may be opened, thereby causing a damaging increase in pressure of the steam or nitrogen gas within the cleaning system. Moreover, the vacuum pump may be activated without the proper valve being opened from the rail tank car to the vacuum, thereby causing damage to the cleaning system.
A need, therefore, exists for an apparatus and a method for connecting hoses that overcomes the problems noted above. More specifically, an apparatus and a method are necessary for ensuring the proper connection of hoses from a filling, emptying and/or cleaning system that may be utilized to fill and/or remove commodity from the rail tank car or other like container, or to clean the same.
The present invention relates to a hose connector template. More specifically, the present invention relates to a template that lowers onto a rail tank car bonnet or protective housing. The template may have a plurality of apertures for connecting particular types of hoses thereto. The apertures may be coded so that the correct hoses are attached to the proper apertures to ensure that the hoses are in alignment with valves that are disposed within the bonnet or protective housing. The template may be lowered and raised over the bonnet or protective housing via a lifting means such as a hydraulic apparatus or any other lifting mechanism.
To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for connecting hoses to valves on a railcar. The railcar comprises a template comprising a plurality of apertures wherein the apertures have sizes to restrict the attachment of hoses to the valves on the railcar.
The apparatus further comprises a frame pivotally attached to a structure wherein the template is connected to the frame.
The template comprises a ring having flanges wherein the apertures are disposed in the flanges.
The apparatus further comprises an extender connecting the frame to the template wherein the extenders allow the template to move away from the frame.
The frame may have at least one arm and further wherein the extender may be moveably connected to the arm of the frame.
The extender may be connected to the arm of the frame via a compression fitting that may tighten around the extender thereby restricting the movement of the extender when tightened.
At least one of the apertures is differently sized from the other apertures.
The valves are contained within a bonnet on the railcar and further wherein the template fits within the bonnet of the railcar.
The bonnet comprises a plurality of ports and further wherein the apertures in the template restrict access to the ports on the bonnet.
At least two of the apertures in the template are differently sized.
The frame is pivotally connected to the structure via rotatable joints.
The apparatus further comprises a locking bar attached to the frame wherein the locking bar connects to the template and restricts the movement of the template.
The frame is pivotally connected to the structure and the frame translates along the structure.
The apparatus further comprises means for lowering the template onto the bonnet of a railcar.
A first aperture of the template is a first size and a second aperture is a second size that is different from the first size.
At least one aperture on the template is sized to receive a nozzle that is about 1 inch in diameter and a second aperture is sized to receive a nozzle that is about 1xc2xc inches in diameter.
The bonnet comprises a plurality of types of valves.
The bonnet comprises at least one eduction valve and at least one vapor valve.
A first aperture of a first size restricts access through a first port to the eduction valve and further wherein a second aperture of a second size restricts access through a second port to the vapor valve.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a hose connector template and a method of using the hose connector template that allows an individual to ensure that the proper hoses are attached to a plurality of valves that may be disposed on a rail tank car. The hose connector template further ensures that the proper valves will be opened and closed when a chemical within the rail tank car is being added or removed from the rail tank car.
Moreover, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide a hose connector template and a method of using the hose connector template that is simple to use and relatively inexpensive to construct. The hose connector template further protects the health and/or safety of workers or any other individual that may be around the rail tank car as the rail tank car is being filled, emptied, or cleaned.
Still further, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide a hose connector template and a method of using the hose connector template that allows the hose connector template to be utilized in a plurality of positions on a rail tank car. Specifically, the hose connector template may move laterally and longitudinally to precisely align with the valves of a rail tank car.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and from the drawings.